Easy Traeger Pork Shoulder Roast Recipe and Tips

This is my go-to beginner's guide for smoking a pork shoulder on a Traeger Grill. We are cooking a pork shoulder low and slow until it's pull apart tender, loaded with delicious smoky flavor, and can feed a crowd. I have flavor options, dry rub recommendations, sauce and the tools you need to make this happen in your own backyard.

First, I will start with the basics. Second, I have lots of modifications and troubleshooting for speeding up the cook time, moving through the stall, and gadgets for easy shredding.

Which cut of pork is used for pulled pork?

A pork shoulder or pork butt are the traditional "go-to" cuts used in pulled pork. There are slight differences in the exact location of the pig that these come from, however, they all have similar fat marbling, connective tissues, and flavor. 

The pork butt comes from the high side of the shoulder. You may also see this labeled as a Boston Butt. This tends to be more tender because the muscle is not used as much this high up on the pig. It also has more fat overall, making it ideal for a long smoke on your traeger pellet grill.

Pork shoulder, also known as a picnic roast, is situated just below the pork butt. This muscle tends to be slightly smaller packaged at the grocery store. It also leaner. Even if you cook it for a very long time, the shreds won't be quite as tender. 

Pork Shoulder vs Pork Butt

So, here are some comparisons to help you make your choice:

Pork Butt: larger piece of meat with lots of marbling and great flavor and more expensive

Pork Shoulder: smaller, less expensive, good for slicing but can be shredded for pulled pork

How to prepare the pork for the Traeger

The basics of preparing your meat for the Traeger include: seasoning, smoking, wrapping, resting, and shredding. You can prepare it very quickly or put a little more effort into if you want.

1. Remove the pork from packing and blot the excess moisture with paper towels.
2. Gently score the fat cap with diagonal cuts. Don't cut into the meat itself. Scoring the fat will help the fat render during the cooking process. If the fat cap is more than ¼" thick, trim it down a ¼" before scoring it.
3. Rub the entire pork shoulder with yellow mustard. Read more below on using a binder.
4. Season the pork generously with your favorite bbq rub, pork rub, or desired seasoning mixture.

*Season the pork shoulder with salt 24 hours in advance for the best results. 

Favorite rubs and seasoning for pulled pork

Cooking pulled pork is really about the method. You can take the flavors in so many directions. Whether you are looking to make carnitas for pulled pork tacos or bbq pork sandwiches, a few tweaks of the spices and you can make anything you are craving. 

Best Pulled Pork Spice rub basics:

• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Brown Sugar
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Paprika
• Cumin

This is perfect for BBQ. You can add in your favorite bbq sauce after you shred the pork and you are ready to eat.

Make it Asian- adding in ginger and onion are the perfect spices and finish with your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce. 

Mexican or Carnitas- use onion powder and cumin for a tasty Mexican profile. Served with fajita veggies is one of my favorite meals.

Adding a liquid to the cooking process

To get started, using a mixture of apple cider vinegar and apple juice will infuse some great flavor and plenty of extra moisture.

Adding liquid during the cooking process serves two purposes. Firstly, even though lots of fat will render which is good for moisture, we don't want our pork to get dry. The juices and liquid we add during the slow cooking process will get reserved and added back in for a truly flavorful and moist main dish.

The other reason is that the liquid helps move things along. Think of this like a pot roast. 

Helpful supplies for smoked pork shoulder

This is one of the few recipes that I really believe in supplies for making the prep and cook process easier

Traeger Pellet Smoker

Wood Pellets- apple, maple, or hickory

Wireless meat thermometer - ARmeator is my preferred brand

Pink butcher paper or aluminum foil

Large baking sheet with wire rack

Cooking Twine

Spray Bottle - add ½ cup pf apple juice and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar to a spray bottle for the cooking process

Fat Separator 

For pulling the pork after it has rested, I prefer to use protective gloves and shred by hand. I have an easier time removing any large chunks of fat or connective tissue that I do not want to eat. Other popular tools for shredding include meat claws or two large forks. nothing beats your hands though in my opinion. 

How to smoke a pork shoulder on a Traeger

Now, its time to get cooking! There are two main stages to the cooking process. First, smoke the pork shoulder directly on the grill grates uncovered. The second stage, we transfer and wrap the pork shoulder to help cook it all the way through until its tender and falls apart.

How to cook a pork shoulder

1. Set your Traeger to 225°F and preheat with the lid closed for 15 minutes.
2. Place your seasoned pork shoulder fat side up directly on the grill grates and cook for approximately 3 hours with the lid closed. 
3. Spray the pork shoulder every 45 minutes with your apple juice and vinegar mixture. 
4. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the pork shoulder. When the internal temperature reads 160°F, remove the shoulder from the Traeger and transfer it to a deep pan or disposable aluminum tray. Cover with aluminum foil.
5. Continue to cook the pork shoulder on the Traeger with the lid closed until it reaches an internal temperature of 204F. This should take approximately an additional 4 hours.
6. Remove the pork shoulder and let it rest for 30 minutes up to an hour. 

Shredding Smoked Pork Shoulder

After the pork shoulder has rested, transfer the meat to a large cutting board. Pour the liquid left in the aluminum pan into a fat separator or large mason jar. The fat will float to the top and the separated juices can be added back to the pork after shredding for more moisture and flavor.

To shred the pork shoulder, I have 3 options for you:

1. Gloved hands protected with heat resistant gloves- this is my favorite because it is easy and you can remove any unwanted chunks of fat
2. BBQ Claws- these big claws will tear right through the pork shoulder
3. 2 Large Forks- another option that you may already have on hand. Just a little more work for you.

Variations and other options to smoking a pork shoulder

To wrap or not to wrap the pork shoulder? I always wrap or transfer my boneless pork shoulder to a pan of some sort to move along the cook time and retain moisture. It is possible to dry out a pork shoulder, so the combination of wrap plus the apple juice cooking liquid helps everything work its way out. 

Using a Binder

If you want to create a really beautiful bark you need to use a binder. Yellow mustard is the most common binder. According to my own research, using mustard on the fat cap helps the rub adhere AND helps the salt interact with the fat to build a thick bark.

Speeding Up the Cook Time

Cooking a pork shoulder on a Traeger, or any pellet smoker, takes time. Somewhere between 160˚-204˚F, you may see a "stall" in progress. Here are 3 things you can do if you can't wait for the pork shoulder to finish cooking:

1. Wrap it with aluminum foil- I already recommend doing this to retain cooking liquid, but it also helps hold heat inside the shoulder and moves along cooking time
2. Cut the pork shoulder into smaller pieces- in a pinch, I have taken the pork roast off the grill grates and cut it into large chunks to reach 204 faster
3. Increase the Temperature of the smoker- since you have likely already infused lots of smoky flavor and are just trying to finish cooking it so that it shreds easily, increase the temp from 225˚F to 250˚-275˚F.

How to save leftover pulled pork

Transfer the pulled pork to an airtight container with a tight fitting lid and save in the refrigerator for up to four days. 

Pulled pork also freezes really well. Using freezer bags and your vacuum sealer, save 1-2 pound portions in the freezer for up to 6 months. This is a great meal prep short cut and so nice to use on busy weeknights!

How to reheat pulled pork

One thing I really do love about pulled pork is how the leftover hold up so well. I love making 6+ pounds so that I can freeze the leftovers for a day when I don't have time to cook.

For the fridge: transfer leftover pulled pork to an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4 days. When you are ready to eat it, either heat in the microwave on REHEAT for 2 minutes or in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

From the Freezer: thaw out your vacuum sealed package of frozen pulled pork in the refrigerator over night or submerge the sealed pouch in water for 1-2 hours. Then follow instructions for reheating pulled pork from the refrigerator.